It feels like the Texas Rangers just won the World Series, but the five-month offseason is coming to an end. MLB’s 2024 Opening Day is Thursday, March 28 with all 30 teams scheduled to be in action, weather permitting. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres each head into Thursday 1-1 after splitting the two-game Seoul Series from a week ago.
Opening Day brings with it a clean slate for teams and the hope that the World Series is a tangible goal. Teams tend to throw their best pitchers on Opening Day to try and start the season off with a win. On the one hand, it presents fans with arguably the best pitching matchups of the year, and on another, it gives us an insight into how teams view their starting rotations at the start of the year.
There are plenty of good matchups on deck for Thursday. Spencer Strider and Zack Wheeler will duke it out with both entering the season expected to be in the National League Cy Young race. Corbin Burnes will make his regular-season debut for the Baltimore Orioles as the franchise’s new ace. There’s a lot of excitement for teams in the AL Central as Tarik Skubal and Cole Ragans are both considered the future of their team’s pitching staff, and Pablo Lopez takes over as Minnesota’s No. 1 after the departure of Sonny Gray in free agency.
Baseball fans will get to see a little history on Opening Day this year. Neither 2023 Cy Young winner—Gerrit Cole for the AL and Blake Snell for the NL— is scheduled to pitch in their team’s first game of the season. 2005 was the last time neither Cy Young winner started on Opening Day (Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez), and this will only be the third time it’s happened since 1982.
Thursday’s game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies has been postponed to Friday and the teams will play a doubleheader. The New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers will also follow suit with a postponement followed by a doubleheader on Friday.
MLB Opening Day Pitching Matchups
Freddy Peralta (MIL) vs. Jose Quintana (NYM) — 1:10 p.m. ET (PPD to Friday, 3/29)
Spencer Strider (ATL) vs. Zack Wheeler — 3:05 p.m. ET (PPD to Friday, 3/29)
Pablo Sandoval (LAA) vs. Corbin Burnes (BAL) — 3:05 p.m. ET
Josiah Gray (WSH) vs. Frankie Montas (CIN) — 4:10 p.m. ET
Tarik Skubal (DET) vs. Garrett Crochet (CWS) — 4:10 p.m. ET
Pablo Lopez (MIN) vs. Cole Ragans (KC) — 4:10 p.m. ET
Nestor Cortes (NYY) vs. Framber Valdez (HOU) — 4:10 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Mitch Keller (PIT) vs. Jesus Luzardo (MIA) — 4:10 p.m. ET
Logan Webb (SF) vs. Yu Darvish (SD) — 4:10 p.m. ET
Miles Mikolas (STL) vs. Tyler Glasnow (LAD) — 4:10 p.m. ET
Jose Berrios (TOR) vs. Zach Eflin (TB) — 4:10 p.m. ET
Justin Steele (CHC) vs. Nathan Eovaldi (TEX) — 7:35 p.m. ET, ESPN
Shane Bieber (CLE) vs. Alex Wood (OAK) — 10:07 p.m. ET
Brayan Bello (BOS) vs. Luis Castillo (SEA) — 10:10 p.m. ET, NESN
Kyle Freeland (COL) vs. Zac Gallen (ARI) — 10:10 p.m. ET